Managing Your Own Neuropathy TreatmenT

The following article is part of on-going series on how to be a better champion of your own care and treatment for neuropathy as featured in Neuropathy News. Over the next several months, we will explore how to navigate medical discussions, insurance claims, and other issues impacting your day-to-day management of your illness.

Part IV:   UNDERSTANDING YOUR MEDICATIONS for neuropathy

The confusion in obtaining information on prescription medications overwhelms many patients.  And the information obtained tends to be almost cryptic with all of the medical jargon it contains.  The best sources of information are reference books and online guides written for the lay public.  These guides describe in layman’s language what a drug is used for, how to take it, and what to do if you miss a dose.  The guides typically give warnings, list side effects and describe how a drug might interact with other medications and herbal supplements.  Plus, they sometimes give information not found on package inserts, as well as provide comparisons of one drug to another.  Certain guides provide off-label drugs and uses not specifically approved by the FDA.

Careful scrutiny of these books and websites will help you become a better informed patient.

BOOKS

The Pill Book
Harold Silverman

The Essential Guide to Prescription Drugs 2006:  Everything You Need to Know For Safe Drug Use
James J. Rybacki

Worst Pills, Best Pills, A Consumer Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Reactions
Sid M. Wolfe

The AARP Guide to Pills: Essential Information on More than 1,200 Prescription and Nonprescription Medications, Including Generics
(AARP MaryAnne Hochadel, editor)

The PDR Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs (PDR is Physicians Drug Reference)
PDR Thompson

The Merck Manual of Medical Information
Mark H. Beers

WEBSITES

http://www.medlineplus.gov/

http://www.safemedication.com/

http://www.crbestbuydrugs.org/
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

http://www.health.discovery.com/ 
Discovery Health

http://www.fda.gov/ 
Prescription drug information

www.fda.gov/cder 
Center for Drug Evaluation Research

www.fda.gov/medwatch 
Addresses adverse affects of drugs

http://www.nccam.nih.gov/ 
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

    Part I:     Becoming Your Own Best Neuropathy Advocate

    Part II:    Improving Your “Deficits” to Make Life a Little Easier

    Part III:   Navigating the Seas of Social Security Disability

    Part V:    The Value of Occupational Therapy and Assistive Devices

    Part VI:   Benefiting From Support Groups

More Living with Neuropathy:

• Managing Your Own Treatment ( A Six Part Series )